Rotary swivel for removable wire line drills



June 1, 1937. 'c LANE 5T M 0 2,082,010

I ROTARY SWIVEL FOR REMOVABLE WIRE LINE DRlLLS Filed March 19, 1935 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 I] III! c wz/r, 5m

June 1, 1937.

C. H. LANE ET AL ROTARY SWIVEL FOR REMOVABLE WIRE LINE DRILLS Filed March 19, 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet 2- Patented June 1, 1937 PATENT OFFICE ROTARY SWIVEL FOR REMOVABLE WIRE LINE DBILLS Charles n. Lanenand Crawford tillwagon,

ouston, Tex.

Application March 19, 1935, Serial No. 11,762 Y This invention relates to a circulating metho and apparatus for wells.

One object of the invention is to provide a means and method for facilitating the taking of cores, or samples of stratabeing pierced by the use of a core barrel, or core-taking apparatus that maybe lowered into, and withdrawn from, the well through the drill stem and for maintaining circulation of' drilling fluid and rotation 01' the stem while the sample-taking apparatus is being lowered or withdrawn, or while withdraw-'- ing the cable, through which the core-taking apparatus is lowered, after it has been detached from the core-taking apparatus in the well; by the .15 use of the present invention, the cable with core barrel attached,- may be lowered into or withdrawn from the well, and the core barrel, or other core-taking apparatus may be lowered into the well --into operative position and the cable detached and withdrawn while circulation o f the drilling fluid is maintained down through the drill stem and back up around it to the ground surface, and while the drill stem is being rotated to prevent the drill stem from becoming stuck in the well.

It is common practice in taking cores or samples from wells to detach the; driving Kelly joint and swivel at the upper end-oi the drill stem and stop the circulation of the drilling fluid down I through and back up around the drill stem while the core has entered the core barrel, the kelly and swivel are again disconnected, and the cable, with a suitable grapple attached, is lowered into the well to engage and bring out the core-taking apparatus. The length' f time the circulation of the drilling fluid is suspended under the above-mentioned conditions depends on the 50 depth of thewell, and with circulation so suspended, the heavy material suspended in the drilling fluid is liable to pack at the lower end of the hole about the drill stem, causing it to become stuck in the well. I

55 The invention herein described eliminates this possibility of ,the drill stem becoming stuck in the well while the core-taking apparatus is being lowered or withdrawn, or while the cable is being withdrawn after the core-taking apparatus is located in place, or while the cable is being low- 5. ered for the purpose of engaging the core-taking apparatus to withdraw it. The invention is made readily portable so that it can quickly be installed on a drill stem upon disconnection of the driving kelly therefrom so that circulation hi the 10 drilling fluid may be suspended only tor a very short time, while such disconnection and connection are being accomplished. I

Preparatory to taking a core or sample by],

methods now in common use, it is now common 15 practice to cleanse the well, soiar' as the same can be done of the heavy drilling cuttings made by the drill bit by circulating mud-laden'fluid down through the drill stem and back up out of v the well. This circulating process requires a con- 20 siderable length of time and is rendered unneces- 1 sary by the use of the present invention for thereasons-hereinabove stated.

The invention is of such construction that, when attached to a drill stem, the core barrel or core-taking apparatus, which is manipulated through a cable, may be readily lowered therethroughand a close seal then formed about the cable while the core-taking apparatus is being .iurther lowered into place, and the seal with 30 the cable will be maintained until the cableis withdrawn.

, drilling fluid may be maintainedunder high pressure if desired during the aforementioned sample taking operations. I v V The apparatus is also useful when it is desired town a straight hole guide into, and withdraw the same irom, a well by the use ofa cable, or when it is desired to run ameasuring line into the well, and these objects may be accomplished during the rotation oi the drill stem and while ordinary circulation is being maintained in the I well. The invention is further useful as an oil saver'adapted for use while lowering or pulling pump sucker rods.-

With the above and other objects in w the invention has particular relation to certa n novel features of construction operation and arrange- 'ment of parts, as well as to a novel method, exau'iples of which are given in' the specification, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings,

Figure 1 shows a side elevation of a well drilling apparatus partly broken away showing the driving kelly disconnected from thedrill stem, and one I form of the invention instailedthereon in its stead. 15

a x Figure 2 shows an enlarged vertical sectional view showing the circulating head and oil1 saver mounted on theupper end of the drill stem.

Figure 3 shows a side .view partly in section on the circulating head with its upper end closed,

and a 'stuifing box through which the cable may operate.

Figure 4 shows a modified form of circulating head and oil saver attached, and

Figure 5 showsa cross-sectional view taken on.

stem 1 or pipe I. may be rotated by conventional rotary drilling machinery 4, and while not bethe slips 5 are removed, and a conventional drive.

ing rotated, may be suspended from said drilling'machine by conventional slips, as 5.

While driliingis in progress, the Kelly joint 6 isconnected to the upper end of the drill stem,

bushing is substituted for the slips 5 in the wellknown manner for driving the kelly. The kelly carries the usual swivel 1 at its upper end, into which the hose 8 is connected; leading from the standpipe 9. The standpipe is connected to the usual pump whereby drilling fluid under pressure may be forced down through the kelly and drill stem, and returned up around the drill stem and out through the outlet pipe Ill. The

kelly and drill stem may be handled through the.-

conventional tackle block II which is connected to the bail of'the swivel in the well-known manner. r

e As illustrated in Figure 1, the kelly has been a I detached for the purpose of swabbing the well, or for the purpose of lowering or withdrawing a core taking'apparatus, and the circulating head II with the oil-saver I2 attached are shown connected to the upper ,end- 01' the drill stem.

As clearly-shown in Figure 2, the circulating head is formed with a housing l3 having the axial tubular spindle 1 4 extending therethrough.

. The upper end of this spindle terminates in the circulating chamber in the upper end of said housing, and the lower end of the spindle is connected to a tool joint member it which in turn is connected to the upper end of the drill stem I.

- Suitable stufllng boxes l1 and 1.8 surround said spindle adjacent-its upper and lower ends.

Within the housing 12 there is an annular supporting plate l9, welded, .or otherwise, secured to the spindle l4, and on this supporting plate, and enclosed within the housing, are the upper and lower bearing plates 2|, 22, having the antifriction bearings 23 between them whereby the housing 1|; and oil saver l2 are supported so ingflapparatus is being lowered and loca its operable position, and while the cable is bethat the drill stem may be rotated relative to the housing, if it be desired to do so.

The lower end of the body of the oil-saver l2 may be screwedinto the upper end of the housing ll so as to enclose the chamber I5. This chamber may be connected with the standpipe 9 by means of the pipe 24 which is controlled by the valve 25, and the standpipe has a valve 26 located above the pipe 24 which maybe closed, when the kelly 6 is to be disconnected, and when the core-taking device is being lowered or withdrawn or other operations are being carried on through the drill stem, the valve 25 may be opened so as to maintain circulation down through the drill stem and up through the casing around it.

The body of the oil-saver has an axial passage-. way therethrough whose lower end is formed with a downwardly converging seat 21, and whose upper end is enlarged 'to' form an inside annular shoulder 28. The seat 21 is of sufiicient diameter to permit the passage of the core-taking apparatus or swab therethrough.

Within the body of the oil-saver are the clamplaws 29, 29, preferably formed of two sections fitted tdgether and having the lateral lugs 30, 30, to receive the bolts 3!, 3|, by means of which the sections may be secured together as a unit. The lower end of the unit is reduced in diameter and tapered to seat withinthe seat 21, and to rest on the shoulder 28. There is a packing sleeve 32 within theupper end of the jaw unit andwhich is retained'in place by means of the gland 33 which is screwed into the upper end of the assembled jaws against said packing. This jaw unit is fitted through a stufling box 34, lo.- cated in the upper end of the body of the oilsaver 12. The jaw unit has an axial passage: way, or bearing, 35, to receive and closely surroundthe cable 36, and within the gland 3 and closely surrounding said cable; there is the liner 31. s

The bodyl2 of the oil-saver is provided with the upwardlyconvel g bores whose outer ends are closed by the plugs 39, and within these bores are the coil springs III, which press inwardly against the balls 4| and hold said balls seated in the annular groove 42 around the assembly of jaws 29 so as to hold said assembly seated securely in place while the cable is being lowered or elevated therethrough.

When the core-taking device, or swab, is being lowered through the body of the oil-saver, the jaw assembly is of course, removed, but when said core-taking apparatus or swab has cleared thelower endof the oil-saver body, the jaw assembly, as above-described, is clamped about the cable and lowered into place on the seats 21, 28. Circulation need be stopped only while the kelly 6 is being detached and the housing I l' is being attached to-the drill stem or-other inner pipe, and this can be very quickly done so that there will be very little liability of the drill stem beeoming stuck in the bore while making this change. I

With the" valve 25 open, and the valve 26 closdy circulation may be maintaineddown through t e drill stem and backup on the outside of the. stem through the well. bore while the core-takdetached and withdrawn, and likewise, circulation may be so maintained while the cable is being lowered and engaged with the core barrel, after the core has been taken, and the core barrel withdrawn so that there will be very little liability of the drill stem becoming stuck while operations incident to the taking of a core or sample are being carried on.

In, withdrawing the core-taking apparatus from the well, when said apparatus strikes the lower end of the jaws 29, the Jaw assembly will be unseated and carried out with the cable and the core-taking apparatus pulled on out for inspection of the core or sample. The tool-joint member I 6 may then be unscrewed from the drill stem and the kelly 6 re-attached and ordinary drilling operations then resumed with very little delay. The valve 25 should then be-closed, and the valve 26 opened'to permit a continuation of the circulation through the Well.

The parts of the jaw assembly are all made sectional, as indicated in Figure 5, so that they may be readily assembled about the cable.

A modified form of the apparatus is shown in Figure 3 wherein a sectional plug 43 may be substituted for the oil-saver l2 and screwed into the upper end of the circulating head H to close the chamber i5. Thisplug has a central stuffing head Ila is in the form of a bell-shaped nipple whose lower end is outwardly threaded to be screwed into an ordinary coupling at the upper end of a pipe in a well bore, and the type of oilsaver illustrated in Figure 2 may be attached to the upper end of the circulating head Ha and. the well'pipe then swabbed through the instrumentality of a conventional type of swab attached to and operated by the cable 36, or this type of the apparatus shown in Figure 4 is especially adapted for use in lowering or removing pump sucker rods.

What we claim is:

1. Apparatus of the character described comprising a circulating head having a housing at the lower end thereof, a tubular spindle extended axially into the housing, said head having a circulating chamber into which the upper end of the spindle extends, a drill stem attached to the lower end of the spindle, antifriction means supporting the circulating head on the spindle, an inlet line entering the chamber, a packing unit closing the upper end of said chamber, a stufling box in the packing unit to permitthe operation of a cable therethrough and yieldable means for releasably holding the packing unit in place.

2. Apparatus of the character described comprising a circulating head having a housing at the lower end thereof, a tubular spindle extended axially into the housing, said head having a circulating chamber into which the upper end of the spindle extends, a drill stem attached to the lower end of the spindle, antifriction means supporting the circulating head on the spindle, an

inlet line entering the chamber, a packing unit closing the upper end of said chamber, and having packing therein shaped to form a fluid tight seal about an operating cable and coil springs mounted through the side of said head and adapted to hold the packing unit in place.

CHARLES H. LANE. CRAWFORD K. S'IIILWAGON. 

